Canada-based pop star Wanting Qu has once again spoken of her mother's detention in China and hopes that justice in the long-delayed case is served soon.
In a message posted on Weibo, Qu said that her "heart aches" for her mother who is in detention for the past few years.
"My mother has been detained for more than four years, and there is still no verdict," the South China Morning Post quoted Qu as saying in the message. "My heart aches, but I still have to believe that the court will give a fair and just result. I wish you all a happy Spring Festival, family reunion, health and happiness."
While the 35-year-old singer did not make any more comments, the post garnered massive response on Weibo with millions of views. Thousands of the site's users also discussed the issue, with scores slamming Qu for her mother Qu Zhang Mingjie's crime.
Calling Qu "shameless" a user added: "When you were studying abroad, why didn't you talk about fairness then?"
What is the Qu Zhang Mingjie case?
Mingjie, a former Harbin city official, remains detained since 2015 and is accused of embezzling 350 million yuan (US$52 million). She is said to have been a part of a real estate scam, through which she pocketed this huge amount.
Mingjie is accused of transferring a state-owned corn farm to private owners in 2009. She is said to have deceived the farm owners about the land transfer terms and received kickbacks from the private owners.
The corn farm housed the dorm accommodation of poor farm workers, who were then forced out of the farms. When they resisted, real estate developers are said to have cut off their pensions and closed the boiler in the dorms, when temperatures were as low as -24 degree Celsius.
The case then went to trial in 2016, where her lawyers claimed that Mingjie hadn't embezzled the amount and the confession was obtained illegally. If convicted, the 62-year-old faces death penalty in China.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time that the "You exist in my song" hitmaker has opened up on her mother's detention. She had earlier claimed that her mother was innocent and that she had full faith in the legal system of China.
Qu's plea comes at a time when Canada-China relations have already taken a hit over the December 1 arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou.
